90 DAY SUPPORT PROGRAM
Every new client is enrolled in a ninety-day program of mentor support.
The purpose of ninety days is that every mentee is given the opportunity to spend the necessary time to build rapport with Ethan so that when challenges in the transition home arise, the mentor-mentee relationship has a solid foundation. Additionally, a three-month period allows for a significant amount of time in transitioning home with the goal that at the conclusion of the three months any initial challenges have occurred during this time with the provided mentor support.
Seamless Transition from Treatment
Every new contract begins with a call to the outgoing treatment program so that Ethan can connect with the client’s therapist. He will discuss their time in treatment including any mental health diagnoses, initial challenges, family dynamics, growth, and items of note for their return home. Ethan will also speak with any other individuals on the support team such as educational consultants. Establishing these connections with your child's treatment team ensures a smooth transition and fosters ongoing communication for potential collaboration with team members in the future.
Daily Contacts
Mentor support is facilitated through daily contacts consisting of a combination of phone calls, text messages, and one weekly video call throughout the work week, Monday – Friday. Phone calls and text messages can vary in length to allow space for any necessary support that day. The weekly video call is lengthier to allow for a more in-depth conversation on that week, their transition home, and any applicable goal setting. Flexibility exists surrounding the format of these calls. There are times when a client may request a phone call that day if there is too much to explain over text, for example.
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Goal Setting
Ethan encourages his clients to establish weekly goals in their transition home. He employs weekly video calls and daily contacts to facilitate the setting of S.M.A.R.T. goals, while also providing daily follow-up to motivate progress towards these goals.
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Emergency Support
If a client finds themselves in crisis and needs support, Ethan can make himself available to provide in-the-moment crisis support.
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Weekly Updates for Parents
Ethan will send briefly weekly email updates to parents, summarizing that week’s daily communication with the mentee.
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Collaboration with the Home Treatment Team
Ethan will collaborate regularly with any members of the home treatment team including educational consultants, parent coaches, and therapists.
Frequent In-Person Visits for Local PA Clients
For clients that are local to the Philadelphia area, Ethan will visit your child for a total of 20 hours of in-person visits to be used with varying frequency over a three-month period. Price differences exist between clients that are local to the area, and those that are not to reflect the inclusion of local visit costs.
Please note that if you are not local to the PA area, visits are not included in the 90-day contract. If you would like a visit to your home, please connect with Ethan on the possibility to add a visit to the contract depending on his availability. Additional costs apply.
Reach out if you are interested in learning more about our 90-day support program.
Upon your inquiry, Ethan will be in touch to schedule complimentary consultation calls with you and your child. If Bold Ascents is a fit, and you would like to move forward, you will be sent paperwork to be returned with payment.
For any upcoming transition a space is not reserved on Ethan’s caseload until all necessary paperwork is complete and payment is received in full.
Frequently Asked Questions by Mentees
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Well, you are in luck! Ethan is not a therapist, and provides mentoring services through Bold Ascents as a step down in level of care from an intensive therapeutic environment. He does encourage his clients to consider if a therapist in their home environment would be a helpful resource.
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It can be beneficial to have an additional layer of support beyond a therapist who you may meet with weekly. Having someone to connect with daily who is not your therapist, your parent, your counselor, but a nonjudgmental empathetic ear to connect on your needs can serve as a key piece of support in your transition home.
For those clients who are in therapy, Ethan will work with them if they’d like to follow through on any goals set in their therapy session that week. Clients have found that the concrete daily follow-up to in-depth therapy sessions helpful.
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Of course! Mentees are able to reach out to Ethan outside of scheduled daily contacts if they find they need the additional support, even if they have already connected that day. Ethan is not available at all hours given his full case load, and other engagements but he is more than willing to do his best to accommodate any calls or support needed outside scheduled daily contacts.
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Any client that has worked with Ethan will tell you that is okay and happens. There will be days you may not have a lot going on, and may not need much support. In the downtime, you may discover that you and Ethan use the time to further rapport. On other days, there may be times when the daily contact is brief. That is okay because the support is there when you need it.
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Ethan often works with clients who have jam-packed schedules filled with school, extracurriculars, part-time employment, and more. He is willing to work with you on a schedule that works for you, and is flexible on any feedback you may have on catering to your busy needs.
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Ethan is intentional with communication with your parents to prioritize and maintain rapport with you. There will be communication with parents at the start of the contract during the enrollment process through the exchange of program information, paperwork, and payment. Afterwards, there will be limited communication with parents through brief weekly updates. Ethan will be transparent with you regarding items shared in the brief weekly updates to your parents. He aims to not take away any of your agency or accountability if there’s an item you request to remain confidential.
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Like most individuals who do this work, Ethan has his own personal story of adversity that he faced at a young age that originally pulled him into these spaces. His journey wrestling with grief, vulnerability, and human connection fuel a passion in Ethan to hold space for others, and support them on their journey to recovery, however they may define that. The exciting piece for Ethan with this work is the opportunity to witness how his clients define the support they need, and their growth within that process. He also thoroughly enjoys having conversations with young men on vulnerability as it relates to masculinity.
Frequently Asked Questions by Parents
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With ten years of experience, and four years specific to mentoring, Ethan is no stranger to walls that clients often create to avoid difficult conversations, and the vulnerability these conversations may require. Ethan’s approach to mentoring is incredibly relational, taking the time and energy to develop a strong foundation for the mentee-mentor relationship. Ethan has found great success with this heavy focus on rapport in the early stages of the contract. He also incorporates choice into every bit of his work, allowing clients to not only set the pace of the rapport building process but also the topics of conversation for daily contacts. He has found this leads to a high level of engagement because it is the client defining the support of mentor services, not Ethan.
There are the rare exceptions of clients who choose to not fully engage in mentor support. Ethan has learned there are typically two reasons to explain a lack of engagement from mentees: a lack of involvement and choice in the admissions process, and individuals who may have been brought home too early in their treatment journey and/or need a higher level of care.
Every prospective client is asked to participate in an initial video consultation call with Ethan prior to enrollment to confirm engagement.
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That is okay, and can be a part of the process. Ethan will connect with you on next steps whether that is a partial refund of the remaining days on the contract or a pause in services until they return home.
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Parent coaching is not provided through Bold Ascents, but is recommended if you find yourself needing the additional support. If you find that parent coaching support would be helpful for you at the start of the contract or at any point, Ethan would be happy to recommend, and connect you with a parent coach that suits your needs.
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Prior to forming Bold Ascents, Ethan worked for a mentoring program for several years that required travel to clients’ homes. While some families valued these visits, many found them overwhelming due to the time needed within their busy household schedules. Despite initially expressing enthusiasm, clients often voiced that the visits were unnecessary for engagement but instead added stress to their already busy schedules. As a result, visits became much more brief than originally scheduled or canceled altogether.
Bold Ascents has integrated this feedback into its 90-day program for clients outside the PA area in addition to prioritizing accessibility to mentoring services. Because the price is significantly reduced without the inclusion of any out of state visits, families who may not have been able to enroll in services due to price can do so. Ethan is also able to reach and provide care to more clients because he has more bandwidth without visiting each client. For clients who are local to PA, visits are included due to the local and more brief nature compared to what is required of out of state visits.
If it is important that Ethan visit your child at your residence within the 90-day program, please connect with Ethan at the time of admission to discuss the option of adding a visit to the contract. Please note that Ethan will make every effort to accommodate your request, but his availability may vary. The decision to include any visits will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
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Bold Ascents does provide support on a case-by-case basis to individuals who have not gone to treatment but are in transition in some capacity, and/or struggling at home and could benefit from the support. We often collaborate with parent coaches who may already be working with parents on a home reset, and through that process find that their child could also use some individualized support.
Please connect with Ethan on the needs of your child to determine if Bold Ascents is a proper fit.
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No problem! You can extend the initial ninety-day contract on a monthly basis as is or a step down in support such as one weekly video call instead of daily support. Please connect with Ethan on options.
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You are welcome to revisit services on a month to month basis at any point in the future. Life happens and there may be another transition or simply the need for additional support.
Please connect with Ethan on his availability.